Claire: The Girl Who Tried to Run
by KadyGurlKady
Summary: Claire has had a difficult and tragic life. Will she be able to put it back together? Or will it be the death of her? Rated M for language and adult themes.
1. Prologue

Prologue: Failure

The wind was cool on Claire's face as she slowly headed up the mountain. With her, she had a bag. A black bag, a heavy bag. Claire's sweat was running down her face, and the tears mixed in, making her face salty. She heaved the bag up the mountain, and stopped when she got to the edge. She took a deep breath, and a long drink of water. _"Heh."_ Claire thought, _"piece of cake."_ Claire sat down on the edge of the mountain, slowly recovering from the long hike up here. Suddenly, she heard something move inside. She gasped, and got behind it. She tried to push it, but, it was too heavy for a tiny girl like her, and didn't have the energy to push it over the edge.

Claire saw a hand emerge slowly from out of the bag, and she knew she needed to run.

Claire was running out of breath, and fast. There was no hiding out here, and she knew it. There was no open path in the trees, and the moonlight shone on her hair, making it highly beautiful, and extremely noticeable. She could hear it getting closer, and closer, and she knew what she needed to do. Claire pulled out a smoke bomb, and turned the other direction, towards her farm.

She ran as fast as she could, but it was faster. It pounced on her, just as she reached the entrance of her farm. Claire screamed and screamed, but, no one could hear her, and they both knew it. "Hush little Claire," the man that was in the bag said, "your little 'plan' obviously didn't work." The man smiled, his nose bleeding down his smiling face. He laughed an evil laugh, and smirked, "I might spare you, but, it'll cost you... Now beg." Claire started to whimper, she looked so frail for someone who had tried to kill the man. "Please, Skye..." Claire whimpered, "Please don't..." Skye took Claire's wrist and twisted it, so that she fell to her knees, crying out in pain. Claire attempted to break away, but, he had a firm grip on her, and wasn't about to let go.

Skye smiled even wider. "Ha!" Skye laughed, "that's a laugh." Skye took hold of Claire firmly and turned her around to face the house. "You see that house?" Skye said quietly, but so darkly it was almost evil, "Didn't I beg for my life, right there on that spot!? And, didn't you try to deny me the right? Yes, look at what you've done Claire!" Skye laughed. He knelt down, and put his head over her shoulder, rubbing his face against hers. He ripped off her shirt, and pulled her pants down, in one swift motion. "But, your life can be spared Claire. All you have to do, is everything I want you to. Now unbuckle my pants..."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Five Years Later-  
It was a cold winter day, and Claire was sitting by the fireplace. It warmed up her body, but, inside she felt so cold. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered that moment. At that moment, she had been raped over and over again, until the morning came. Gotz had found her passed out cold, and immediately ran her to the doctor's office. It was no suprise to Claire that they all knew what had happened. A few months later, she had gotten sick. She went to the Doctor's Clinic again just to be diagnosed with pregnancy. She looked over at the tiny little crib as a reminder of what Skye had done. Tears were now pouring from her eyes, and she ran. She ran up to the mountain, and she sat down as she reached the edge. There was a terrible snowstorm going on, and she was sitting right in the middle of it. The winds blew around her, tipping her every which way. But, oblivious to the cold, she tried to remember back to when it all started.


	2. The Start of a Tragic Life

Claire looked down at her feet. _"My little pink shoes are so pretty..."_ Claire thought, _"I hope momma doesn't get mad at me cause I got them dirty..."_ Claire looked up at the old farm house and watched her parents from the outside. Her mother was a beautiful lass, with long red hair that glowed like the fire, and beautiful brown eyes that sparkled. But lately, that little sparkly had faded from her eye. Not that Claire had really noticed, but, she did notice something. Her father was gone most of the time, and when he was home, he didn't even talk to momma. She often heard her father mumbling offensive things that she didn't even know about. He also brought wine home regularly, and was hardly seen without it. Her father was a particularly large man, with all the muscles and what not. He was the one who had contributed the blonde hair to Claire's genes, or, so she thought. But, her large blue eyes? Now, that was a mystery Claire would not know for a very long time.

Claire's heartrate skyrocketed as she heard a commotion come from the house. Claire's bright blue little eyes witnessed the whole thing. Claire's eyes filled with shock, and panic when she saw her daddy hit mommy. She could hear shouting from inside the house, and she saw that momma was pushed across the room, and didn't get up. It was something she never hoped to see, but, somehow she knew it was going to happen. But, she didn't expect what was coming next.

As Claire's father stormed out of the house, he walked straight towards her. His gray eyes looked mean, like he meant a lot of harm, and Claire couldn't move. He walked up to her menacingly, and Claire was frightened. There was not a thought in her scared little mind, she just wanted him to pass her. Her frightened little blue eyes looked up at him, and he picked her up. Daddy was holding too tightly, and Claire wanted down. She squirmed and cried out, and then just started crying. She saw her mother run out the door of the little old farm house, and run towards her and Daddy.

"My baby! My baby!" Claire's mother cried as she grabbed onto Claire, "You drop her this instant!" Her mother was shouting and screaming, and throwing punches and hits that didn't even phase him. Claire's father turned around suddenly, and Claire heard a gunshot. And then another, and another, and another. All of them seemed painfully slow, and they echoed in her head. Her father dropped Claire onto the ground, getting her little pink dress all dirty, and covered in blood. Then she saw her mother. Her firey red hair and her faded brown eyes filled with tears, holding a smoking gun. Claire didn't realize what had happened, until she saw her little dress covered in the blood of her now dead father.

"Daddy!" Claire shouted, "Daddy no! Daddy!" Her eyes filled with tears, and she ran. Her mother dropped to her knees, looking defeated, but oddly triumphant. Claire stopped running when she reached the top of the mountain. She sat down on the edge, and cried. She cried and cried and cried. She cried until every single tear in her body had come out. Her mother then sat down beside her, and cried with her. It had been a long day, a very, long, day.


	3. Whispers

Claire looked down off of the edge of the cliff

Claire looked down off of the edge of the cliff. The cold dark abyss below her looked so inviting. Her blue eyes were faded just like her mother's. She could almost feel her mother's warm arms around her, embracing her as she cried. This was the same exact spot. The next day, Claire's mother committed suicide off of the very same cliff. And with neither of her parents there to take care of her, she was taken in by Manna, who's daughter had ditched both of her parents. It seemed, a bit ironic really. Unwanted parents for an unwanted child, it seemed they were meant to be.

For the next couple of years, Claire didn't talk. She listened to Manna go on and on about something she didn't give a flying fuck about. Her mind was shut, her voice, turned off. At one time Duke and Manna thought she was mute until she started talking in her sleep. She and Manna never really connected, and Duke didn't even try to go near the child. Claire was told by Manna that Duke was her uncle, which made Karen her cousin. Claire never really left Manna's house, and therefore, grew sickly and weak. It was a couple of weeks spent with Manna later when Duke was the one who pointed out how she looked.

Duke was the one who ended up taking her to the hospital. Claire thought that it was quite nice to have some peace and quiet around. Duke didn't speak, it was if he knew that she needed the silence. But, anyone who was around Manna for that long would know anyway. So, the fifteen year old girl stepped into the Clinic, with the doctor rushing up to meet her. Elli had already had some medicine prepared, and Duke waited in the waiting room until the doctor was done.

Claire felt anything but comfort on the firm bed. The light was shining brightly into her eyes, and she couldn't see what the doctor was doing. A flashlight shone into her eyes, and then it moved away, leaving her semi-blind. Claire blinked, but nothing helped. Then the doctor moved on to her body. He used the stethoscope to hear her breathing, but, Claire couldn't help to feel that the doctor had become a little too touchy feely when he moved down into the other areas. She even thought he was sniffing her at one moment, but, she couldn't be sure. She was still semi-blind. The Doctor gave her some medicines, and within a few short minutes, she was out cold.

"Duke," the doctor said, "I'm going to have to take her in overnight, and see how her condition is in the morning." Duke nodded, and left. But, before he did anything, and asked, "What time shall I pick her up then?" The doctor quickly shooed him out and said, "Noon would be great!" Then he took the medicines from Elli, and said, "Elli, why don't you go over to your grandmother's? You'll still be paid for the day." Elli got up, and with a smile on her face said, "Thank you Doctor," she then added, "You are such a kind person. So, considerate of others and such." And with that she left slowly, leaving the doctor with the unconscious fifteen year old girl.

The doctor shut the door and locked it. He took Claire up to his bedroom, and set her down on the bed. Claire was still knocked out cold, those sedatives would have knocked out a full grown man for half a day. It would probably take a full day for those to wear off of her. That left a full twenty four hours for the doctor to do anything he wanted. The Doctor was about to undress her, when he heard knocking on the Clinic door. It was frantic, loud knocking, and he being the Doctor, couldn't ignore it. He grabbed the unconscious Claire and ran down the stairs, putting her where she originally was on the Clinic bed. When he opened the door, Elli walked inside, with a severely bleeding Karen. "Doctor quick! Karen needs help… NOW!"

The doctor nodded, and rushed to get his supplies from upstairs, and Elli ran over to Claire's side. She checked her vitals. She was just glad she got there before the Doctor could do any harm. Elli and Karen took carried Claire away from the scene, away from the Doctor, away from the harm.

Elli fumbled with the keys with Claire on her back. She could hear the doctor coming down the stairs, but, she just couldn't find the right key. She inserted one, it was a no go. The Doctor passed the door, and he was heading towards the curtain. Elli's hands were shaky, but she inserted another key. It wouldn't even fit in the lock that time. Elli had run out of time, but, there was only one key. She inserted it, and locked the Doctor inside just as he ran to the door.

Elli and Karen backed away from the door, it rattled and shook with the rage of the Doctor. "I'm gonna fucking get out of this place! Give Claire back to me you whore! She's mine!" the Doctor went on and on about Elli, saying harmful things that Elli herself couldn't hear without whimpering. "You little whore! Your mother was a whore too. The village whore, to be exact. Everyone had a ride before that bitch died." The Doctor laughed when Elli broke down crying. "I'm grateful she died. I spit on your mother, and everyone related to her. You little slut." Elli was crying even harder now, and Karen was trying to calm her down.

The door shook even harder, and the girls thought it was about to crack. But suddenly, it stopped. Karen stood there for a second, wondering. She slowly walked up to the door, and peeked in at the Doctor. His eyes were sad, and lonely. He looked oddly defeated somehow. "Karen," the Doctor said, "please let me out." Karen had always had a thing for the Doctor, but, she wasn't about to let him out after what he had just done.

Elli had known all along about the feelings the Doctor had about Claire. She had purposely given him the wrong sedative, and the wrong medicines. Elli figured that Claire would be awake in an hour at least. Karen and Elli made their way to the Supermarket, a safe haven for all three of the girls. Karen and Claire lay down on the beds, while Elli made sure they were comfortable. Elli bustled around the room, her eyes still filled with tears. She made sure that Harris had taken care of the Doctor, and she wiped off Karen's bleeding face.

"Karen," Elli said, "I'm so sorry…" Karen laid her head back down on the pillow and said, "No, it's alright. It needed to be done." Elli was determined to get an apology through today. "No, I'm so sorry. It's just that, you were the nearest person… and I… I-I'm sorry." Elli broke down in tears for the second time today, and knelt down by Karen. Karen smiled and said, "I accept your apology. But, think of what would have happened to Claire if you hadn't done it."

And then, Karen and Elli got the shock of their life.

"Momma! Momma don't go, don't leave me!" Claire was screaming in her sleep, and the tears flowed harder than ever, "Daddy! Momma! Come back!" Claire cried out their names as she knew them, and they had never seen so many tears in their life. They hadn't even heard her talk before, and she seemed as hard as rock on the outside. But, they sat and stared as they saw the tortured little girl on the inside come out.

"Momma! Don't shoot! Don't shoot Daddy! Don't kill Daddy!" Claire wailed and thrashed around the bed, looking almost possessed in a way. "I miss you! Come back! Come back…" Elli couldn't bear to see Claire suffer in her nightmare any longer. Elli woke Claire up, her eyes filled with concern.

Claire sat up and looked at her surroundings. "W-where am I…" Claire sort of said it as a statement, instead of a question. She shivered and looked up at the familiar face of Elli. "This isn't the Doctor's Clinic!" "Shhhh…" Elli whispered, "You're safe now…"

Claire faded back into the present. Claire felt numb, and the cold was starting to get to her. It chilled the outside of her skin, but, her insides still felt numb regardless. She looked into the dark abyss below, and waved to it. "I might be seeing you soon…" She whispered to the trench below, "I might get to see the inside of you if I'm lucky…"

She desperately wished that Karen and Elli, the two kind spirits that helped her the first time, could have helped her that moment five years ago. It was her misfortune that got her into all of this. After that, she avoided the Doctor's Office checkups. She usually stayed away from the Doctor and Elli as well. She couldn't just face the Doctor, even if he wasn't the same one. She basically withdrew herself from that side of town altogether.

Claire put her arms into her sleeves, and looked down into the trench. She tried to remember a better time, a happier time. The trench below seemed to call out her name. "Claire… Claire…" it whispered to her, almost like a sorrow filled lullaby.


	4. Is This It?

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Claire looked up into the bright summer sky. The big fluffy clouds drifted by as she lay on the beach.

Claire had slowly gotten better over the years, her skin less pale, her eyes not so dull anymore. Her big blue eyes sparkled as she watched the wonderful clouds float pass. She swore she saw one that looked like her mother, only to find out that it looked more like herself a few seconds later. "Could this mean something?" Claire thought. Her thoughts only to be interrupted by Popuri and Kai chatting away.

She sat up in her bikini, and looked over their way. Popuri was chatting away looking at the ocean, while Kai was looking over her way. Kai winked, and Claire put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Kai smiled a big smile, but then Popuri looked over at him and he got what was coming to him.

As Kai ran into the square after Popuri, Claire wondered if she would ever get lucky and find a man for her. A man that was kind and gentle, unlike her father, and didn't have fantasies to the extent of which the doctor had, and definitely one that wouldn't go off and flirt with other girls, like Kai. Maybe she would someday. Claire stared out upon the ocean, and wondered for a little while. It was so relaxing for her to just sit. There was no problems, no solutions, no enemies, no friends. It was just her. And as she lay down on top of the blue beach towel staring at the ocean, she was…

Claire snapped back to reality as the wind got colder, and stronger. She heard it howl around her uncovered ears. For the first time she had been out on top of the mountain, she shivered. She started to actually feel warm… "Hypothermia…" Claire wondered, "If I don't do anything soon, I'll die anyway…"

Claire glanced down into the pit, the bottom seemed obscure to her sad blue eyes. It seemed to whisper louder to her now, and she almost thought that she saw her mother's face forming in the thrashing snowflakes. Claire stood up, and looked behind her. There was nothing but snow and the occasional shadow. She couldn't feel her body anymore, she could barely keep her eyes open as they stung so much. She felt her face, it was almost like it wasn't her hand touching it. She turned back around to face the seemingly bottomless pit, and whispered in a hoarse voice, "I want to do this…"

Claire was surprised by how bad she sounded. "What am I doing?" Claire asked herself, "Was my life really so bad that I don't want it anymore?" Claire thought back to all the happy times she had had. But, then she knew she had to do this. She didn't want to remember all the bad things in life. She couldn't be truly happy, unless…

Claire closed her eyes, and smiled. A tear ran down her face as she dove headfirst into an abyss of no return. She laughed as she fell into the pit. Her whole life flashed before her eyes, until her mind settled on one memory.

Claire had a big, wonderful, true happy smile on her face as she walked down the aisle. She was beautiful, all dressed in white. Her belly was huge, but she didn't care, and neither did that special man waiting at the end of the red carpet. Her man in shining armor, or at least, in a white tuxedo, looked just as happy as she was. They joined hands, and they wed. Tears of joy fell from Claire's face, in the memory and in reality. Claire gasped as she hit the bottom sooner than she expected. She muttered her final words, "Fuck!" her breathing got shallower and shallower, "Goddess! Kill me now!" and she gasped again.

After about an hour, Claire stopped to think. "Is this it?" Claire wondered softly, "will I just die, never to be remembered, or loved again?" Claire wept from the pain, and slowly she began to have feeling in her face. "Will I... cease to have feelings, or, anything?" Claire felt the tears running down her face. Claire smiled as the darkness all around her took her into it's arms. She could faintly hear her mother singing a lullaby that she used to sing Claire long ago.

"Baby, Baby will you come and play with me, breathe in, breathe out sleeping is no source of doubt. You may sleep forever more it's okay if you start to snore, Baby, Baby, please stay there don't play with me, I may disappear on you, then you know what you must do. Baby, Baby it's okay don't cry on me, I'm here, don't fear... I'm here..."

"Gray… I love you…" She whispered once more, for the last time as the darkness swallowed her.


	5. Discovering Claire

Gray walked inside from taking care of the animals in the harsh wind

Gray walked inside from taking care of the animals in the harsh wind. He let out a deep breath, and took off his coat. He looked inside the baby's crib. The tiny little girl was sleeping softly, her breaths deep, and calming. She looked so much like Claire already, light blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes. Sure, He had the colors, but that little girl was a far cry from Gray. He smiled, and looked around, realizing his precious Claire wasn't here.

"Claire!?" Gray cried, "You here!?"

When Gray was answered with silence he was immediately worried. He looked in the bathroom, and in the shower room, hoping that she would be in there laughing, her sparkling eyes dancing as she laughed at him for thinking she had gone outside in a snowstorm. He was getting more and more anxious, and he stepped down into the basement. He peered in between the rows of corn and tomatoes, hoping she was checking on them. But, alas, Claire was no where to be seen.

Gray had entered a full on panic state. But, he couldn't go looking for her, not out in this cold. He thought that maybe, she had gone to the Clinic. She had said she wasn't feeling well earlier that day…

"She'll be fine…" Gray thought, "she's tough. My baby can handle anything."

And with that little reassurance, he was able to calm down. But, something was still nagging at him from the inside. Suddenly, he thought he heard a whisper. It was soft, and gentle, like Claire. But, it was just the wind.

There was only one more place to look, and that was under the bed. He got down on his hands and knees, and looked under the bed. All there was were a bunch of papers, and little books. He moved them all out from under the bed, and looked. There was no Claire under the bed that's for sure. But, when Gray was just about to put all of the papers under the bed, he stopped, and decided that while Claire was gone, it couldn't hurt for him to read the stuff.

Gray flipped through the pages of a little pink book. It read, Claire's first Diary on the inside, so, he decided it couldn't hurt.

Summer 10, Year 5

My momma said I should write in this little diary everyday. So I could look and see what I did a couple days ago. Well, I don't know why I'd want to do that, but, if momma said so, I guess it can't be that bad. So… yeah… Well, I got my little pink shoes dirty again today, and momma got mad at me, so… I'll try not to do it anymore. I can't wait to go see the pretty fireworks! Momma said she's gonna take me to see them. That's great! The kids told me that they were pretty, but, I don't remember them. But, I really want to see them. Okay. Done! Yeah!

Gray was a little surprised when he saw how many of the little diaries she had. Was there a reason she kept them here? Maybe. What kind of secrets were kept in this little booklet? Gray took a chance and glanced a little further into Claire's past. He was unconsciously reading what he would come to know as Claire's entire life.


	6. Wwhat?

She opened her eyes, and looked around

She opened her eyes, and looked around. Everything was so dark, it was so cold. Everything seemed so far away… She turned around to see a woman lying in the snow, crumpled with frost forming on some tear stains that had been left on her face. She ran as fast as she could, only to see a beautiful blonde woman, dead.

She tried to cry for help, but she couldn't speak. She looked around, but it was a miracle that she even saw the dead woman, let alone anything else. She looked at the woman with sad eyes. She looked terrible. There was blood coming out of her mouth, and one of her legs seemed to be broken, the ankle was twisted sideways. There seemed to be blood everywhere.

"Where am I?" she thought, "Who am I?"

She looked down at her gloves, and at her pants, recognizing them on the dead woman laying before her. But, she seemed almost transparent… She swallowed, and was about to touch the woman when,

"STOP!"

A bright light shone into her eyes, almost blinding her. But, she put her hand over her eyes. It didn't help much, but, she saw the shadow of a cloaked woman.

"You cannot touch your body."

The woman's worst fears had been confirmed as the cloaked woman made that statement.

"S-so I'm really dead?" the woman questioned.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. But, you must now pick a name for yourself and come with me to be reincarnated. For, if you touch your body, all of your memories will come back at once, and all of the pain and misfortune shall hit you like a bomb, and if you cannot handle it and come back out, you shall be doomed to wander here in limbo forever."

A curious light sparkled in the woman's eyes.

"I might give my body a chance…" Said the woman.

"Very well." The cloaked woman said, "Is that your final decision?"

The woman paused and looked at the crumpled woman behind her.

"Yes." The woman said.

And as the cloaked woman that shone as brightly as the sun disappeared, the woman dove into the body, eager to see the trials she would have to face.

The woman felt the coldness immediately. She was almost frozen solid. Her teeth chattered, and her insides seemed to be breaking. The woman was getting used to it when all of a sudden she seemed to fall into space. The woman floated above a scene, and watched silently until she became the girl she was looking over.

The woman had become a teenager, and she felt mad, really mad. Rage overtook her and she stomped down the somehow familiar steps. She went out of a door and slammed it while she was at it. She marched up to a girl, a little older than herself and started yelling. She could hear herself, but she couldn't control it. It overtook her and she could finally hear and control it.

"God Elli! Why in the hell are you always around me!? I don't want you hear! Tell Karen that too! UUUUUGH!"

She stomped back into the building and suddenly remembered Elli. But, she couldn't remember herself, only the tears that Elli had been crying. Who was she?

She was no longer there anymore, and instead she was on her bed. Suddenly she felt so much pain, it was like her insides were coming out of her.

"Oh GODDESS!" She yelled, and she writhed in pain. She was crying beyond all reason, and for some reason someone told her to keep pushing. So, she pushed. She struggled to breathe, and kept pushing and pushing. It seemed like hours, even though it was minutes. She was sweating all over, and she gave one final push.

She was breathing as hard as she could, and it still hurt. Someone was holding a tiny crying baby in there hands, and suddenly she felt a warm feeling in her stomach. Her pain was instantly calmed by pure happiness, and she realized it was hers, and only hers. A man with striking blue eyes and sandy blonde hair came up to her and sat by her. She smiled over at him, and kissed him on the forehead. Her kiss was met with a kiss on the lips by him, and then she fell out of the memory.

Suddenly, she saw a glimpse of silver hair, dashing green eyes, and a beautiful body. She was overcome by embarrassment, because she was naked as well. He was kissing her up and down her body, and it felt good. Suddenly, a picture was taken. Then she was carrying a body bag up a mountain, it was heavy, and her heart seemed to be so low, so desperate. She was losing a grip on this body, she needed to hold on. She focused, and then she was running.

Fear. She was panicking, and she was running as fast as she could. Her legs felt cold, her chest was beating hard. What was she running from? Suddenly she was tackled from behind. She could see a farmhouse right in front of her, and she was turned around, and she saw the silver haired man again. He ripped off her shirt, and it all stopped.

Did she fail? Was she still in the body? Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open. Her whole body felt numb, and she tried to stand up. She moaned, and her throat seemed raw and split open. She yelped and started crying when she tried to stand on her leg. But, she decided she needed to leave, and she started to crawl, wincing with every painful movement.

Not soon after she started crawling, she saw a hill. She started to roll down, and it hurt with excruciating pain. She recovered after a couple of minutes, and crawled to a house that was right in front of the hill. She knocked on the door, and she heard footsteps.

A large woman in yellow answered, behind her a skinny, frail looking man, and a suddenly not so cheery looking brunette.

"H-help M-me." Was all she could muster before she passed out.


End file.
